The Livestock Guarding Program is an inspired success for the Cheetah Conservation Fund in Namibia. One Anatolian Shepherd sheepdog was found in 1980 to be able to defend goat herds by successfully fending off attack from both cheetah and jackal. The 1980s drought forced cheetah to abandon their natural prey and take a few livestock. This forced farmers to consider them as their enemies and many were shot.

There are only 10,000 cheetahs, Acinonyx jubatus in the world and some populations are short of breeding stock, limiting their gene pool. Crisis is never far away, so it was a relief to find that after this dog was able, at zero cost in man-hours or money, to liberate goats from predation, the CCF, based in Otjiwarono, took over this whole project! 150 dogs are currently on guard duty around Namibian farms, beginning duties at the age of 7 or 8 weeks, so that the bond with their goats is complete.

The latest news concerns some Kurdish Kangal puppies from 2008, that are now successfully blending into the goating community. Again from Turkey, they have shorter hair, they withstand heat better. It costs $40,000 a year to look after and breed these dogs, with more than 150 taking over duties. They are all documented at Otjiwarono.

It's not so easy on the dogs, or the cheetahs. One sick cheetah was killed trying to attack goats and the dogs are involved with fights against jackals and other animals. The end result is that more than 60 goats are saved each year, often from jackal attacks. There are rarely any predations when the dog guardians are present.

They are acclimatised to a goat herd from puppyhood, and organise the guard themselves with no human help for miles. Barking and "posturing" are often enough to put off the aggressor. Humans can arrive when the barking starts but these gentle giants are enough to handle almost all situations with their personal herd.

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You can deny climate change as much as you like. The evidence contradicts you. Any logical study takes account of scientific data which can be reproduced. That is the difference between media reports and the global warming reality. Here we have an up-to-date report on the state of one nation, with many others also recognising and acting on how to combat climate change in a coordinated global response.

IUCN must be listened to, unless you are one of those who disregards any science on the grounds that it could be fake. Acting is the opposite to disinterest, but what can we do to counter the actions of great industries or the governments of large populations of people? The answer seems bland, but it proves individuals are always important.

From Myanmar, through the Congo to the Atlantic forests of Brazil, we are neglecting our rainforests, but temperate forests are also suffering, often from pest influences as global warming really takes hold in certain regions. How to help prevent a treeless future - as always, take these pieces of well-informed, well-rounded and interesting advice.

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